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How short do you cut the string? Biogeography, development and conservation in northern Australia

Citation

Bowman, DMJS, How short do you cut the string? Biogeography, development and conservation in northern Australia, Global Ecology and Biogeography Letters, 1 pp. 2-4. ISSN 1466-822X (1991) [Letter or Note in Journal]

Abstract

At an accelerating rate our civilization is causing dramatic changes to landscapes throughout the world. Unmodified landscapes are a primary, and increasingly valued, resource for the study of biogeography. However, natural areas are valued for a range of conflicting reasons, ranging from the intangible spiritual and aesthetic experience of nature to the more prosaic reality of money and political power. Like it or not, biogeographers are going to be increasingly involved in these conflicts. What role should biogeography play in this drama?
In an attempt to answer this question, I shall discuss one case study: the relationship of biogeography with resource conflicts in Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory of Australia.